Education Reform and Recent Council Reports

When did the Central Council for Education issue the report titled "Toward Building 'Reiwa Japanese-style School Education': Realizing Individually Optimized Learning and Collaborative Learning That Draw Out the Potential of All Children"?

1. January 2021 (Reiwa 3)
2. December 2016 (Heisei 28)
3. January 2019 (Heisei 31)
4. December 2022 (Reiwa 4)

Which pair of learning approaches did the January 2021 "Reiwa Japanese-style school education" report aim to realize in order to draw out the potential of all children?

1. Proactive learning and interactive learning
2. Basic learning and advanced learning
3. Individually optimized learning and collaborative learning
4. Systematic learning and experiential learning

The January 2021 report divides "individually optimized learning" into "individualization of instruction" and "personalization of learning." Which describes "personalization of learning"?

1. Providing more focused instruction to children who need support, to make teaching effective
2. Keeping everyone at the same pace so that all work on the same task at the same speed
3. Having each child complete learning alone on a device and reducing interaction with others
4. Giving each child opportunities to work on learning activities and tasks suited to their own interests and concerns

Which statement best matches the caution the January 2021 report gave about individually optimized learning?

1. Collaborative learning should also be enriched so that it does not turn into "isolated learning"
2. Learning with devices should be limited to one hour per week
3. Group learning in classes should end and everything should become individual study
4. Ability-based class grouping should be made mandatory nationwide

Which school year did the January 2021 report set as the target for introducing subject-specialist teaching from the upper grades of elementary school?

1. FY2020 (Reiwa 2)
2. FY2022 (Reiwa 4)
3. FY2024 (Reiwa 6)
4. FY2026 (Reiwa 8)

Which feature of "Japanese-style school education," which the January 2021 report says has been highly evaluated abroad, is correct?

1. Schools handled only academic instruction and left daily-life guidance to families
2. Promotion to the next grade was decided by national unified tests in each subject
3. Schools handled both academic instruction and student guidance, developing knowledge, morality and physical health together
4. Schools had no homeroom classes and children chose lessons freely

Which phrase expresses what the December 2022 report on training, recruitment and professional development of teachers for "Reiwa Japanese-style school education" aimed to realize?

1. School as a team
2. Curriculum open to society
3. Sustainable school instruction and management system
4. New way of learning for teachers

Which statement about the teacher license renewal system is correct?

1. It was phased out ("developmentally dissolved", 発展的に解消) by the May 2022 amendment to the Education Personnel Certification Act (教育職員免許法), effective July 1 of that year
2. A 2024 amendment increased renewal course hours and strengthened the system
3. It was abolished in 2022 but restarted from FY2025
4. Renewal every ten years remains only for teacher (kyoyu) licenses

Which describes the system for teacher training presented in the December 2022 report?

1. A legal minimum of training hours, with licenses revoked for teachers who fall short
2. Encouraging training through dialogue with school leaders, using each teacher's training records
3. A ban on training provided by private organizations
4. Abolishing induction training for new teachers and making all post-hiring training optional

Which lists these Central Council for Education reports in the order they were issued? A: comprehensive measures for work-style reform in schools; B: toward building "Reiwa Japanese-style school education"; C: improvement of the Courses of Study and necessary measures; D: comprehensive measures to improve the environment for securing high-quality teachers

1. A→C→B→D
2. C→B→A→D
3. C→A→D→B
4. C→A→B→D

Which is the purpose of the GIGA School Program as described by MEXT?

1. Abolishing paper textbooks and moving all lessons online
2. Developing and using one device per student and high-speed, high-capacity networks to realize individually optimized and collaborative learning
3. Reducing the number of teachers and automating lessons with devices to cut personnel costs
4. Creating a new subject called programming in elementary schools

How did the GIGA School Program begin?

1. It was set out in a supplementary provision of the 2017 Courses of Study
2. It was set out by the 2025 amendment to the Act on Special Measures for Teachers' Salaries (給特法)
3. It began with the FY2019 (Reiwa 1) supplementary budget
4. An amendment to the School Education Act (学校教育法) required parents to buy devices

Alongside language ability and problem-finding and problem-solving ability, what do the General Provisions of the 2017 elementary and lower secondary Courses of Study list as a "competency that forms the foundation of learning"?

1. Information literacy (including information ethics)
2. Communication ability in foreign languages
3. Motor ability (including physical fitness)
4. Calculation ability (including mental arithmetic)

Which learning activity does the General Provisions of the 2017 elementary Courses of Study say should be carried out systematically?

1. Memorizing the grammar of a programming language and checking it on tests
2. Setting up a one-hour weekly "programming" subject from the middle grades
3. Teaching children to repair their own devices
4. Activities in which children experience programming and gain the logical thinking needed to make a computer do what they intend

In the three categories of work in the January 2019 work-style reform report, where does "dealing with students' commuting to and from school" belong?

1. Teachers' work whose burden can be reduced
2. Work that should basically be handled by parties other than the school
3. School work that teachers do not necessarily have to do
4. Core work that teachers must always do

In the three categories of work in the January 2019 work-style reform report, where do "club activities" belong?

1. Work that should basically be handled by parties other than the school
2. Teachers' work whose burden can be reduced
3. Core work that teachers must always do
4. School work that teachers do not necessarily have to do

Under the guideline set by the Minister of Education under the 2019 amendment to the Act on Special Measures for Teachers' Salaries (給特法), applied from April 1, 2020, what is the general upper limit on teachers' overtime hours at school?

1. Within 45 hours a month and 360 hours a year
2. Within 30 hours a month and 240 hours a year
3. Within 60 hours a month and 720 hours a year
4. Within 80 hours a month and 960 hours a year

Which mechanism was created by the 2019 (Reiwa 1) amendment to the Act on Special Measures for Teachers' Salaries (給特法) and took effect on April 1, 2021?

1. Applying Article 36 overtime agreements under the Labor Standards Act to public school teachers and paying overtime allowances
2. Abolishing the four overtime categories so principals can order overtime for any work
3. Allowing local governments to apply an annual variable working-hours system to teachers by ordinance
4. Abolishing the teacher adjustment allowance and paying by hours spent coaching clubs

Which set of three pillars did the August 2024 report on comprehensive measures to improve the environment for securing high-quality teachers say should be pursued together?

1. Restarting license renewal, unifying teacher exams, and stricter teacher evaluation
2. Further accelerating work-style reform in schools, strengthening school instruction and management systems, and improving teachers' pay and conditions
3. Distributing one device per student, mandating digital textbooks, and standardizing online lessons
4. Making English a subject in elementary school, abolishing club activities, and free high school tuition

How did the June 2025 amendment to the Act on Special Measures for Teachers' Salaries (給特法) and related acts (Act No. 68 of 2025) treat the teacher adjustment allowance?

1. It abolished the allowance and switched to overtime pay
2. It kept the allowance at 4% of monthly salary
3. It raised the allowance from 4% to 20% of monthly salary at once
4. It decided to raise the allowance step by step from 4% to 10% of monthly salary

Which correctly describes the "senior teacher" (主務教諭) position that schools can newly establish under the 2025 amendment to the Act on Special Measures for Teachers' Salaries (給特法) and related acts?

1. A teacher who educates students and also coordinates comprehensively among staff
2. A post that assists the principal and manages school affairs as instructed
3. A support staff member without a teaching license who helps with teachers' clerical work
4. A post in the board of education that guides and advises schools on curricula

Which pair correctly gives when the Courses of Study announced in 2017 (Heisei 29) took full effect?

1. Elementary April 2018, lower secondary April 2019
2. Elementary April 2021, lower secondary April 2020
3. Elementary April 2020, lower secondary April 2021
4. Both elementary and lower secondary April 2022

On what date was the consultation "On the Standards for Curricula in Primary and Secondary Education," the starting point for the next Courses of Study, made to the Central Council for Education?

1. December 25, 2024 (Reiwa 6)
2. January 26, 2021 (Reiwa 3)
3. August 27, 2024 (Reiwa 6)
4. October 8, 2026 (Reiwa 8)

In dealing with the burden of implementing the curriculum, what premise did the December 2024 consultation on curriculum standards set?

1. Increasing total standard annual lesson hours by at least 10%
2. Abolishing the Period for Integrated Studies
3. Not increasing total standard annual lesson hours
4. Using only digital textbooks in every subject

Which is the outlook shown in the "Schedule for revising the Courses of Study (image)" presented at the Central Council for Education meeting on October 8, 2026?

1. The report was already issued in FY2024 and the new Courses were announced in FY2025
2. The report and announcement are planned for FY2030 or later
3. The Courses will be revised by notice only, with no official announcement
4. The Council's report is planned for around winter, and the official announcement for the end of the fiscal year

For the joint implementation of the first-stage teacher recruitment exam starting in 2027 (FY Reiwa 9), which method is the council of local governments discussing?

1. A "common-question distribution method": common questions made by a third party, with each board of education running its own exam
2. A "unified exam method": a third-party body handles everything from writing questions to running the exam
3. A "national exam method": MEXT writes uniform questions and runs the exam at all venues itself
4. A "unified schedule method": each board writes its own questions as before and only the dates are aligned

What framework was shown for the "general knowledge and teaching profession exam" (教養試験) in the 2027 joint first-stage exam?

1. About 60 questions in 90 minutes (about 30 general knowledge + 30 teaching profession)
2. About 40 questions in 60 minutes (about 10 general knowledge + 30 teaching profession)
3. About 25 questions in 60 minutes (teaching profession only)
4. About 50 questions in 120 minutes (about 20 general knowledge + 30 teaching profession), including written answers

According to the MEXT document of April 30, 2026, which dates were set for the joint first-stage exam in 2027 (with reserve dates set separately)?

1. Only Saturday, July 10, 2027
2. Six dates: the second Saturday of every month from April to September 2027
3. Three dates: Saturday May 8, Saturday June 12 and Saturday July 10, 2027
4. Five weekdays in August 2027

In the question policy published by the council of local governments on July 29, 2026, what was set as the difficulty standard for the teaching-profession (教職教養) section of the joint exam?

1. The general knowledge exam of senior-level local civil service exams
2. The Common Test for University Admissions
3. MEXT model questions (subject specialty)
4. The "Subjects and Teaching Profession (I)" section of the Teacher Qualification Certification Exam (教員資格認定試験)

Which is an effect of joint implementation of the first-stage exam listed in the MEXT document?

1. The second stage can be abolished and hiring decided by written exams alone
2. Less work writing questions, allowing careful, character-focused selection in the second stage
3. People without teaching licenses can be hired without a first-stage exam
4. All prefectures and designated cities can hold the second stage on the same day